Featured video

Description: A synthetic narcotic, fentanyl has been detected in an increasing number of illicit drug overdose deaths in Metro Vancouver. Many of the people who died were recreational and/or occasional users and don’t appear to have known they were ingesting fentanyl, as it is easily hidden in other drugs.

Saturday, Oct. 12: B.C.’s goal of GHG reduction is alive and well in city of Nelson

View of the Syncrude oil sands extraction facility near the town of Fort McMurray, Alberta. A senior official with Environment Canada has told his superiors that oil and gas are the "gorilla in the room" when it comes to Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

Photograph by: Mark Ralston
, AFP/Getty Images

The article leaves the reader feeling that B.C. has lost an opportunity to be a world leader on climate action, an opportunity that was within its grasp. We write today to point out that opportunities for meaningful action on climate change are achievable and, in fact, are occurring. Our case in point is the city of Nelson.

In 2007, Nelson’s city council signed onto the Provincial Climate Action Charter. Three years into implementation of its greenhouse has (GHG) reduction plan, a 15 per cent reduction in emissions has been achieved and the program is on track to achieve its five year goal of a 25 per cent reduction by 2015.

Of course, a program such as this has incurred costs, however, the simple payback on the program is eight years. Many of the retrofitted systems will continue to produce cost savings even after the capital costs have been recouped.

The Nelson experience shows that reductions in energy consumption and emissions are achievable and indeed economic even on their own merit.

We remain convinced there are many opportunities to make substantive improvements benefiting the environment, energy sustainability and the bottom line. B.C.’s green thrust may be blunted but it does have points of success.

Marcel Coutu criticizes Daryl Hannah, Robert Redford and Neil Young for campaigning against oilsands expansion. He says, “they are not credible; and of course, they do not know what they are talking about.”

These artists do not have to be “experts in the area of energy or the environment” to know what they are talking about. Like anybody else, they simply have to listen to what almost all people of science are saying. It also helps to listen to people who live downstream from the developments. But most people don’t listen much to scientists. People do take notice of artists such as Hannah, Redford, and Young. Without people like them, spending their time and energy to pass the word, scientific criticism of the energy industry would be smothered by the industry’s propaganda machine.

BILL MCCONNELL, Surrey

If Marcel Coutu believes the oilsands provides the world with quality (sic) energy, and it turns out to be somehow true that oilsands are produced under world-class environmental and social standards, then I suggest his best way forward is to convince the rest of us that it will be just hunky-dory to mine and market three million tons of carbon per day into a global ecosystem in the initial stages of a major climate shift.

STANLEY HIRST, North Vancouver

Our societies’ addiction to fossil fuels is leading us down a path of damage and hardship. Groups that rally against increased oil production are not “anti-everything” groups. They represent millions of ordinary citizens who say “enough is enough.” There are clear alternatives and too many in the oil industry refuse to accept that

More and more people want to explore alternatives: to consume less, to produce differently, to shop locally, to stop some of the damage caused by green house gases. It’s ironic this oil spokesman complains anti-oil sands spokespersons aren’t “experts” when this same industry routinely rejects the expertise of the leading scientists on climate change.

DAN ROGERS, Vancouver

Despite Marcel Coutu’s claim the oilsands meet “world-class environmental ... standards,” the oilsands are still the fastest growing producer of greenhouse gases in the country.

Oil exporting countries around the globe have just as many challenges, or even more, as we do here; which they have overcome successfully.

Norway has an excellent oil-spill-free record with a huge pipeline network and tanker terminals in the very harsh conditions of the North Sea.

Abu Dhabi recently built a pipeline 380 kilometres across rough desert terrain and the rugged Hajar Mountains from its oilfields in Habshan to a new tanker terminal at Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman; all to circumvent any possible closure by Iran of the Straits of Hormuz.

These are but two examples from oil exporting who have been able to deal with huge obstacles to get their product to energy hungry-customers worldwide.

Sadly, so many in B.C. fail to realize the importance of oil exports in world commerce; yet they drive gas-guzzling SUVs to shop at big-box outlets to purchase Chinese products made of plastic, a byproduct of oil, of course.

BERNIE SMITH, Parksville

Enbridge’s V.P. Janet Holder has stated that they are willing to meet the world leading standards in oil spill prevention and cleanup as per Alaska and Norway. However all they have shown B.C. residents are feel good ads about whales and spawning salmon.

The plans Enbridge have provided British Columbians are bare bone, economy class and embarrassingly ineffective.

Provide the public with a business plan that addresses environmental concerns about oil spill response and back up those plans financially.

Then, and only then, will you get our support in building your oil pipeline and ocean transport system in B.C.

View of the Syncrude oil sands extraction facility near the town of Fort McMurray, Alberta. A senior official with Environment Canada has told his superiors that oil and gas are the "gorilla in the room" when it comes to Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Canadian cities need to have an open debate about the risks and benefits of Chinese money — including “hot” funds brought in by corrupt officials — in Canada’s housing market, according to a former senior Harper government official.